Description

Established in 1818 in Auburn, New York, Auburn Theological Seminary relocated to New York City in the late 1930s and is currently based in the Interchurch Center in Morningside Heights. Building on a history of work that includes a series of Luce-funded initiatives, Auburn’s new leaders – Rev. Dr. Emma Jordan-Simpson and Dr. Patrick Reyes – will launch a Center for Storytelling and Narrative Change. The Center’s work will draw on Auburn’s legacy of media training and public engagement workshops, seeking to provide resources and capacity building for faith leaders “who are addressing the root causes of historic violence and injustice, and healing their communities through storytelling” – including, for example, the commemoration and healing efforts necessary following histories of Indian Boarding and Residential Schools, and the narrative work involved in building and sustaining shared social spaces in the midst of enduring forms of cultural conflict and ideological division. Funding from the Luce Foundation and others will support staffing, curriculum production, network and resource development, in-person workshops and virtual programming, and public communications regarding the Center’s work.